Promise
by bobkitty1123
Summary: Lewicki leaves for a job all the way on the East Coast, but he doesn't leave Daniel on his own. Kate/Daniel. Complete.


**A/N - **I'm always nervous when posting a new Perception fic because I'm kind of iffy with my characterization of Kate. I can usually hear Daniel saying the things I write, but with Kate...I'm never sure.

Disclaimer: I don't own Perception.

* * *

Lewicki was leaving.

He had finally earned enough graduate credits to receive his master's degree, and was offered a teaching position at Dartmouth University. At first, Daniel was certain that Lewicki was going to refuse the job offer, but he wouldn't allow that—Lewicki deserved it.

"Goodbye, Max." Daniel said, shaking Lewicki's hand.

All three of his suitcases lay around the foyer. It was a culmination of the last five years that Lewicki spent living and learning with one of the greatest minds in neuroscience.

"Are you sure that I should leave, Professor?" He asked, looking around the immaculate apartment. He had cleaned it well, as a parting present. "Because I can call and ask them to hold the position for me."

Daniel shook his head. "They'll never do that, Lewicki, and you know it."

"But—"

"This is a great opportunity for you, Lewicki. Just take the job." Daniel snapped.

"Okay, I left your schedule and all other instructions on the kitchen table. I left the usual recipe book I use to cook for you—all the recipes that fall within your diet are bookmarked."

"I'll be fine, mom." Daniel rolled his eyes.

* * *

It was his first class without his assistant, and while Lewicki just sat the desk the entire time, grading papers and watching, it felt strange without the young man sitting there. Daniel hesitated with greeting his students and glanced back at the desk several times.

"As you all have noticed, Lewicki has left us. He was offered a teaching position at a different university." Daniel looked back once again—as if he expected the man just to appear there. With his schizophrenia, for all he knew, it might just work.

Suddenly the door opened.

The entire class watched as the visitor walked straight to the desk and sat down.

Daniel half-whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"Don't pay any attention to me." Kate said curtly, waving him away as she started shuffling through the papers on the desk.

Daniel turned back to his class. Then he realized what she was doing. The sound of shuffling papers was comforting. Occasionally he could hear the scratch of pen on paper, and it reminded him of Lewicki so much that he forgot that the man was missing. He breezed through the lesson, delivering one of his most enthusiastic lectures about the difference between what you see and what your mind perceives.

After all the students filed out of the room, Daniel turned to Kate. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about…I made a promise."

Before Daniel could ask what this mysterious promise was and who it was to, Kate gathered up her bag and walked out of the room.

* * *

That evening, Daniel didn't look forward to going home to an empty house.

When he opened the door he swore he could smell casserole. Lewicki usually made casserole since it was easy and healthy. Daniel shook his head. His mind was playing tricks on him—more than usual.

He walked straight upstairs, trying to ignore the pestering smell.

That was until he heard something crash downstairs.

Daniel peaked out of his room, his brow furrowed. Grabbing his umbrella, he snuck downstairs with it held over his head. It had occurred to him that maybe it was a hallucination but without Lewicki around, he didn't want to make assumptions.

As he rounded the staircase, he saw a spoon skitter across the floor through the doorway to the kitchen. Then he heard a groan of frustration.

He crept up to the doorway and looked in.

Immediately he lowered his weapon. Standing in the middle of the kitchen looking bewildered and overwhelmed, stood Kate. She was wearing a white apron—that was once Lewicki's—and it was covered in tomato paste handprints and a stain of red wine. He knew immediately that she was making eggplant lasagna casserole.

"Oh…hey, Daniel." She smirked, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. Her hand left a streak of red sauce on her face.

Daniel strode further into the kitchen and took a towel. He stopped in front of her, wiping her face clean. Then he pressed the towel into her hands, allowing her to finish wiping the food off her arms and her apron.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Same thing as earlier." Was all she told him.

Daniel watched as she opened the oven and shoved the casserole in. He grimaced, it didn't look like Kate knew what layering was. All the ingredients were thrown in haphazardly without any rhyme or reason. It might still be very good, but after seeing the catastrophe that she placed in the oven, he drew the conclusion that Kate wasn't a good cook.

"That was a good class today." She told him, leaning on the counter. "I haven't heard one of your lectures in years—at least an official one."

Kate took off the apron and Daniel noticed that her white blouse was dirty as well.

"Why are you doing all this?" Daniel asked. "And don't tell it's because of some mysterious promise."

Kate thought a moment. "Because I care about you."

Daniel smiled and didn't press the issue again that evening.

And the casserole? It was terrible.

* * *

The next day Daniel came home in the afternoon, followed by Natalie Vincent.

A student had cornered him leaving his office and asked him for extra credit due to a series of classes she had missed. He noticed the bags under her eyes and the gaunt look to her skin—she was hungover, and probably had been for several days. That's why she had been missing classes and needed the extra credit.

He had told her that maybe she should have focused more on her class work and less on drinking with her buddies. The girl ran off, upset, and Natalie appeared, telling him that he was too harsh on her.

"Natalie, I can't be expected to help her keep up when she doesn't even try."

"Yes, Daniel, but she'd making an effort. Give her a chance." Natalie said as Daniel turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open.

"No, she only wants the extra credit so she can pass and keep partying."

"You're so cynical, Daniel." Natalie said. "You just assumed she was hungover. What if she has been sick?"

"Then I need a note from her doct—"

Daniel looked into the living room. Kate was sitting on the couch, looking at him.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

Daniel turned to Natalie. She was gone. Daniel sighed and turned back to Kate. "What are you doing here again?"

"Just relaxing." She answered. "Come and take a seat."

He joined her on the couch hesitantly. "How did you get in?"

Kate held up a key. Daniel snatched it from her. "You stole Lewicki's key?"

"No, for your information, he gave it to me." She took it back.

Daniel watched her slip it into her pocket as a revelation dawned on him. He should have realized sooner that Lewicki was behind all this—the frequent check-ups, the premade meals, the mysterious laid-out clothing. In his absence, Lewicki had appointed Kate in his place.

"You made a promise to Lewicki." Daniel said. "You've only been hanging around so much because he asked you to."

Kate smirked. "That's not the only reason."

Before he could register what happened. She leaned up and kissed him on the lips.

When he opened his eyes, she just smiled at him.

* * *

Daniel carried the box upstairs and set it on the floor. Kate followed, carrying another box. She dumped it on top of his box. They were both sweating and tired. Kate flopped down on Daniel's bed, burying her face in his pillow.

"Ew…don't do that you're all sweaty. You'll get my bed dirty."

"We do much worse than that in this bed, Daniel." She smirked at him.

Daniel couldn't help but flash back to the past week. Kate had cooked him dinner every night and then they fell into bed together almost every night. When Kate first started coming over to help him stick to his routine, neither expected it to escalate to the point where Kate would move in. Kate because she didn't think Daniel would reciprocate her feelings and Daniel because he didn't realize his feelings for her at first.

"That's gross, guys." Lewicki quipped from the doorway, carrying another box as well.

"Sorry, Lewicki." They both chimed, stifling laughs.

"Well, that's the last box." Lewicki said, smiling. "I have a plane to catch. It was nice catching up with you two."

Daniel and Kate walked the former assistant back downstairs.

He hugged Daniel, who protested. Then he hugged Kate. As he detached himself from Kate, he said, "Thanks."

"It's my pleasure." She told him, looking up at Daniel and smiled.

Lewicki was almost thrown off by the love in Daniel's gaze as he looked down at his girlfriend. It was then that he realized the extent of which his decision of leaving Kate in charge had helped Daniel. Under Lewicki's guidance, Daniel was kept stable, but with Kate around, he had flourished.

"Good bye."

"Don't be a stranger." Kate announced as Lewicki walked out to the taxi cab.

* * *

"I don't know, Natalie…I don't know." Daniel said, gripping his hair and pacing in the tiny room. He turned where he stood, looking at the crucifix on the wall. If he were a different man, he'd consider praying but for Daniel Peirce, it seemed pointless and stupid. So instead he settled on slumping in one of the wing-back chairs and dropping his head onto his lap.

"Daniel, it's just the nerves talking." Natalie assured. "You're making the right decision."

As he sat there, someone knocked on his door and stepped into the tiny room.

When he looked up his eyes went wide, "You're not supposed to be in here. The groom isn't supposed to see the bride. It's like bad luck or something…"

"You don't believe that, Daniel," she smiled.

"True, b-but you do!" He protested as she stepped up to him.

Her nimble fingers went straight to his throat, tying his bow tie and adjusting it to see right on his neck. She ran her hands over his tuxedo jacket, smoothing out the wrinkles his worrying caused. Then she smoothed down his hair. He was a bit of a mess.

"Thanks, Kate." He breathed as she pulled his head down for a peck on the lips. "You look beautiful, by the way."

"I thought you'd never mention it." She quipped, spinning in place.

The sheer white skirt of the dress billowed out like a blooming flower and he could see her tiny white heels—sometimes it bewildered him how small her feet were.

"Help me with my veil?" Kate asked, handing the accessory to him.

Careful not to mess up her bun, he tucked it into her hair and smoothed it down her back.

"Now, let's go get married." She said, looping her arm around his and he couldn't but be reminded of her little pep talks she gave just before they went to arrest a criminal. The only difference this time was that there was going to be no arrests—hopefully.

Tradition was that the father would walk the bride down the aisle while the groom waited at the end, but Kate decided for Daniel's sake that they would walk down together.

Natalie Vincent was there in the front row, smiling brightly, but Daniel didn't notice her.

Today was all about Kate and his love for her.

"I do."

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy!" Lucas shouted, hopping onto Daniel's lap. The man groaned as the little boy's elbow connected with his ribcage. He looked down at the brown haired, brown eyed child. "Mommy says we can't have McDonald's for dinner."

"Because we need to have healthy food." Daniel replied.

"But…"

"No buts." Daniel chided softly. "You need to eat vegetables to grow big and strong—something you're not going to get from those chicken nuggets you like so much."

The boy pouted and jumped off his lap, disappearing.

Daniel smiled and shook his head, returning to the papers scattered on his desk. As he picked up his pen to start correcting his students' work, a pale arm snaked around his shoulder and a hand came to rest on his chest. The hand grabbed his chin and tilted his head so Kate could press her lips to his.

Daniel leaned into the kiss before Kate broke it, leaving her forehead resting against his.

"He and Ericka are going to bug me for the rest of the evening. Can't we just tell them why we can't have McDonald's?"

"I did tell them. It's unhealthy." Daniel said.

Kate kissed his ear. "It's not just that and you know it."

"It is a valid excuse." Daniel argued, and Kate smiled at him brightly. "What are you making anyway?"

"Eggplant Lasagna Casserole."

Daniel groaned and rolled his eyes. Kate punched him lightly in the shoulder and laughed—she had become a much better cook since the first time she made him that. It brought him back to all those years ago...

* * *

**A/N - **I don't know anything about Daniel's diet but if I'm correct it should be one full of omega-3 fatty acids. That means he eats a lot of nuts, beans, whole wheat and seafood. McDonald's doesn't fall on that spectrum. Plus, I just can't imagine him eating anything extrodinarily unhealthy like fast food. Blah. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are love!


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